ELKHART LAKE – Scott Dixon, Graham Rahal, Helio Castroneves and the rest of the stars on the Verizon IndyCar circuit will be returning to Road America in 2016, the open-wheeled racing series announced on Saturday.

The series will be in Elkhart Lake on June 24-26, 2016, marking the end of a nine-year absence from the 4.048-mile circuit. The track had hosted IndyCar races from 1982-2007.

“We know how revered Road America is by our drivers, teams and fans and we’re confident it will be a great event on the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series calendar,” Mark Miles, CEO of Hulman & Co., the parent of IndyCar and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, said in a press release. “We’re thankful to (Road America president and general manager) George Bruggenthies and his staff for their collaboration in bringing IndyCar back to one of the most iconic road courses in North America. This event, along with a new street race in Boston, are integral additions for 2016 as our efforts to finalize the entire schedule continue to progress.”

In addition to the Verizon IndyCar Series, all three levels of the Mazda Road to Indy will compete on race weekend.

Road America officials have been overwhelmed with fan request for IndyCar racing to return to the track, according to the release, and officials from the venue worked hard to make it happen.

“We listened to the fans and the local community, and after careful negotiations struck a deal to bring back one of the greatest forms of open-wheel racing ever to grace our beautiful 4-mile road course,” said Bruggenthies. “We have wanted to bring IndyCar back for quite some time and we knew what it would take to make it work for everyone involved.”

George Bruggenthies, left, and Derrick Walker, INDYCAR President of Competition and Operations, pose following the announcement that Indy car racing will return to the track in 2016.(Photo11: submitted/Mike McGill)

Ten current Verizon IndyCar Series drivers have raced on the circuit before, with Sebastien Bourdais winning the last IndyCar race at the venue in 2007. That was under the Champ Car sanctions.

Hector Rebqaue won the first IndyCar race at Road American in 1982 and Dario Franchitti holds the track record with a lap of 1:39.866 set in qualifying for the 2000 race.

Road America is the seventh race date to be confirmed for the 2016 schedule and joins dates in St. Petersburg, Fla.; Long Beach, Calif.; two races in Indianapolis; Belle Isle, Mich.; and Boston.

Drivers were excited about the news of Road America’s inclusion in the 2016 schedule.

“Road America is one of the classic tracks in North America. Its long and challenging layout is built for speed,” Dixon said in the release. “I can’t wait to get back and am glad IndyCar is expanding the schedule and adding races to the calendar.”

Juan Pablo Montoya, who currently leads the series’ point standings, also likes the Road America design but said the Elkhart Lake area also is a drawing point for the series.

“Elkhart Lake is a racing town. The people there love what we do and they really supported the series when we ran there in the past,” Montoya said. “I have said several times that Road America is the one track in this country that needs to be added to the Verizon IndyCar Series schedule immediately.”